Angels take contract negotiations with closer Huston Street into season

Huston Street, the normally affable and approachable closer, was in no mood to discuss his contract negotiations with the Angels before Monday’s season opener against the Seattle Mariners.

"I'm not talking right now," Street said.

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That was not necessarily an indication that talks have stalled. Street, who acts as his own agent, had hoped to have a deal in place by opening day, and has said he doesn't want negotiations to be a distraction for either him or the club.

But General Manager Jerry Dipoto said it was “still possible” the sides could come to an agreement.

"There's never been a deadline with Huston," Dipoto said. "We've had discussions, and we're continuing to have discussions. He wants to be here. We want him here. We're not in a rush to get anything done, and we never will be."

Acquired from San Diego last July, Street is 36-29 with a 2.82 earned-run average and 275 saves in 10 seasons. The 31-year-old right-hander has converted 97 of 103 save opportunities since 2012 for a major-league-best 94.2% conversion rate in that span. He is slated to make $7 million this season after the Angels exercised his 2015 option.

Street said on arrival at spring training that he’s looking for a four-year deal that would begin this season and pay between what closer David Robertson received from the Chicago White Sox (four years, $46 million) and setup man Andrew Miller got from the New York Yankees (four years, $36 million) over the winter. The Angels are believed to be pushing for a three-year deal.

No matter how negotiations play out, Dipoto said he doesn't think they will be a distraction for Street.

"Huston is very mature in his outlook," Dipoto said. "He understands business. He understands pitching. He understands his value to his team and his place in the industry. It's very clear that he understands how the market works, and we'll take it day by day.

"There is a lot of year in front of us. Some players prefer not to have discussions during the season; some are comfortable talking back and forth. The general nature and the friendly tone of the conversations we've had to date ... it's not a hard-core negotiation where we're at a table staring at each other trying to find whether we will or we won't" make a deal.

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